Hugo Alberto Zamorano is an Omaha artist who has apprenticed with “A Midsummer’s Mural” on our Lithuanian Mural Project. He also helps us on large scale lettering projects like the one below. He will graduate with his B.F.A. in Painting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in December, 2015. Additionally Hugo has worked on 5 murals in Omaha, two of which were done as an apprentice at the Kent Bellow’s Studio, and two as a student at the Kent Bellow’s Studio. His work was accepted into 2 juried art shows including the Nebraska National Collegiate Juried Art Exhibition, and has shown in numerous non-juried shows. He recently was one of 3 UNO students to write successful grants and fund an art show entitled Latino/ Latin American Artists: Exhibition and Conversations. A wonderfully successful exhibit of local Latino artists that included a series of lectures and conversations with well known Latino artists from Iowa City and New York, as well as art directors from Notre Dame and the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Hugo’s parents were born in Mexico and immigrated to South Omaha from California and he speaks Spanish fluently. His connections with the Latino artists in South Omaha will be invaluable for our Plaza de la Raza Mural Group.

Essay for Mexican Heritage Mural
This mural project is of great importance to the Mexican community and to Omaha, and myself. One of the great things about Omaha is that it does indeed have a rich history of the U.S and Immigrants in this country. Having immigrant parents, I can see why projects like these are so important. My Mexican heritage has not always played a direct role in my artmaking, but since college, and now more recently in the past two years, it has become a bigger part in my journey as an artist and has helped in building bridges in, and between, my Omaha Community and the art community.
Being involved in organizing last year’s “Latino/ Latin American Artists: Exhibition and Conversations” has furthered my artistic interest in cultural differences and similarities between people in one country, the immigrants from another, and the generations that come after. As part of the group organizing the event, we thought the exhibition taking place in South Omaha was of great significance because there was a lack of Latinos and Latin Americans involved in art, here in Omaha and South Omaha, although nearly half of the population in South Omaha is of Latin American heritage. It is also where I have lived for the past ten years. It was important that a step was taken towards bridging a gap between the different communities in Omaha, as well as show pride in our community, and the best way to do that as artists was through art and by inviting all of Omaha communities to attend the exhibition and various workshops taking place there. The Mexican Heritage Mural will further my involvement in this bridge building, as well as help me grow as an artist who is involved in his community through geography and through heritage. This is why I would be honored to be the lead artist for this project.
Through the years of schooling and being an artist, I have had opportunities to be involved in creating murals and working on projects that advocate and require involvement not only from the artists, but from people in different parts of different communities. This involvement has lead me to gain experience in working with different people towards a process and outcome where everyone is satisfied. I have also been able to learn to draw, paint, and work with different styles of art making for these different projects, as well as my personal work. Such styles include typography through Graffiti Writing and sketching. Also expressive, graphic, and realistic paintings with spray paint and brush in large and small scale works. I have also gone through preliminary sketching for mural projects. I believe that these art and social skill assets will help greatly in the development of this mural.